18 Aug 7 Podcasts That Will Make You a Smarter, Better Leader

Some of the best free resources out there for growing and learning are podcasts. Over the past few years, as podcasts have grown in popularity, literally thousands of new podcasts have flooded the web. It can be exhausting sifting through them to find the really good ones, but there are a few that stand out and that have meant a lot to me as a student of leadership. Here is a list of a few that I can’t get enough of:

The Learning Leader Show, hosted by Ryan Hawk. Ryan is one of the best interviewers I’ve ever heard. His podcast is full of content that is well researched and focuses on a variety of topics that are relevant to leaders, from interviews with great leadership minds like Jim Collins, Robert Herjavec, Scott Harrison, Simon Sinek, Michael Hyatt, and more. Each episode is about an hour long, and it is always time well spent.

Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast, hosted by Andy Stanley. Andy is the Lead Pastor of North Point Community Church in the Atlanta area. His podcast is widely regarded as one of the best leadership podcasts out there. He shares principles that he’s learned from his time as the key leader of one of the largest churches in America, and frequently has guest contributors like Charles Duhigg, Glen Jackson, and Frank Blake. Typical episodes are 30 minutes or less, so it’s a quick easy listen.

TED Talks Daily. There’s a good chance you already know what TED Talks are, but if you don’t, you have no idea what you’re missing. TED Talks are a series of brief (usually 15 minutes or less) presentations by thought leaders on a wide variety of subjects that are designed to inspire, educate, and motivate. This podcast could easily become part of your morning routine, and there are hundreds of talks to pick from. Most of the talks include visually compelling presentations, so I’d recommend checking out the video podcast as well.

This Is Your Life, hosted by Michael Hyatt. Michael is the former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and hosts one of the most popular leadership podcasts out there. He typically focuses on subjects related to productivity and work/home-life balance. His podcasts are almost always super practical, sharing tools, systems, and resources to improve efficiency in order to create margin in your schedule and peace in your life.

How I Built This, hosted by Guy Raz. This podcast is a series of interviews with people who have started well-known businesses or organizations. Some recent guests include Jim Koch (Samuel Adams), Jann Werner (Rolling Stone), Blake Mycoskie (TOMS shoes), and Perry Chen (Kickstarter). This is one of my favorite podcasts because it’s an easy listen, it’s informative and fun, and it’s always interesting to hear from leaders who have actually been through the process of building something from the ground up.

Perry Noble Leadership Podcast, hosted by Perry Noble. Perry is the former Lead Pastor of NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC). NewSpring started about 15 years ago with a small group of people in Perry’s living room, and under his leadership grew to be a church of more than 35,000 on 17 campuses throughout the state of South Carolina. In his podcast, Perry shares lessons and insights from the successes and failures he has experienced in leadership. His podcasts are typically short and, although they often focus on the ministry side of leadership, many of the principles translate well to any organizational leadership role.

5 Leadership Questions, co-hosted by Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper. This podcast features episodes in which the hosts ask guests five questions about leadership based on their expertise and background. I just recently started listening to this podcast, but I’ve already gone through almost a dozen episodes. A couple of my favorites so far have been interviews with Bob and Maria Goff, Henry Cloud, and Tony Evans.

These are a few of my current favorites. I’m always looking for new stuff to check out. If you have any recommendations you’d like to share, leave a comment!